[This interview was conducted online so there may be some audio variation. Intro/Outro music is by Moutaineer and licensed through Premuim Beat]
(Content Warning: At around the 20-minute mark there is mention of the video of Ahmaud Arbery's death and the last words of Elijah McClain when Alicia mentions participating in NaNoWriMo. If this may be triggering, please skip forward by 2 minutes and 30 seconds.)
Continuing the 10th anniversary year of Minorities in Pub, Jenn welcomes Newbery honoree and Coretta Scott King awardee Alicia D. Williams! Alicia discusses her new middle-grade novel in verse MID-AIR and how the narrative form scared but called to her, the connections her books exploring the multifaceted nature of grief, the paralysis of writing this second novel after your first receives so much acclaim, the need for more representation of soft-hearted Black boys in books, and the beauty of fully being able to express yourself when you find the story that moves you.
[You can sign up for the MiP monthly newsletter with job listings, guest news, and new eps here. Transcript of this episode is TK.]
This month's episode & newsletter were sponsored by Writeability, a nonprofit writers guild, in defense of the imagination.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!